Abstract:

This interdisciplinary project introduced undergraduate agriculture students to the methodology of Project-Based Learning through investigating the benefits, challenges, and cost-effectiveness of hydroponic units for growing leafy greens. During the 2016-2017 academic year, three professors from The Ohio State University’s Agricultural Technical Institute (Ohio State ATI) embedded Project-Based Learning into the undergraduate curriculum in greenhouse management, agricultural communication, education and leadership, and the Ghana education abroad programs. Faculty and students cooperated to develop, test, analyze and improve, a low-cost hydroponic system made from commonly available materials that functions without electricity for use by subsistence farmers in Ghana, West Africa. This interdisciplinary Project-Based Learning venture allowed the researchers to meet numerous educational, technological, and institutional goals on the Ohio State ATI campus and abroad.